Re-Watching DS9

[Lord Garth]

"The Sword of Kahless"

Long before Picard mashed up several different series together, weaving together and building on top of them, DS9 did it first with "The Sword of Kahless", which combines elements from TOS, TNG, and DS9 all into one. And as you probably know, I love it when Star Trek is able to combine different plot threads to build on top of itself.

Representing TOS are Kor and the concept Kahless himself. Representing TNG are Worf, Toral, and who we really think of as Kahless. And representing DS9 is Dax and the current sociopolitical climate (relative to the series) with strained relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Gowron, even though he's not in the episode, represents TNG and DS9, and is an example of someone who Kor views as a politician and not a true Klingon Warrior. Kor views himself as a true Klingon Warrior, a Dahar Master. For a little while during the episode, Kor views Worf as not a true Klingon at all. And he views Dax as a true ally to the Klingons.

John Colicos steals the show as Kor. Seeking glory and telling tall tales. As great as Michael Ansara was as Kang, I'm glad that Kor was the one who wasn't killed off in "Blood Oath" because Kor was the best type of Klingon to have as a guest-character in the quest to search for The Sword of Kahless. David Bell also does great work giving a musical score that fits the quest they were on.

Just like when Worf was hesitant to interact with other Klingons during his Discommendation during mid-TNG, he's hesitant to interact with other Klingons after "The Way of the Warrior". Dax, being as extroverted as she is, has none of that and introduces Worf to Kor right away. Love it when Kor is like, "Worf, the pariah, the traitor, the lowest of the low... " leaving Worf (and the audience) in suspense before saying, "A pleasure to meet you. Any enemy of Gowron is a friend of mine." Just like in "Blood Oath", when he instantly accepted Dax as someone to come on his journey, he accepts Worf just as easily to go on the journey he has this time.

Once they journey to where the Hirq hid the Sword of Kahless and discover it, it feels like a truly epic moment. To quote Kor, "Glorious!" Watching him hold the sword and hold it high looked and felt as grand as was intended.

Everyone wants The Sword. Kor thinks he was meant to have it, Worf thinks he was meant to have it and that his recent ordeals have been a test, and Toral wants to have it to take over the Klingon Empire. First his father Duras wanted to rule the Empire, then Lursa & B'Etor wanted to rule the Empire by using Toral as a puppet, and now Toral wants to rule the Empire as his own man. The only one who doesn't want The Sword is Dax. Which makes her the perfect person to carry it.

One of the episode's strengths is that it allows everyone to have their own point-of-view and they get to present their side of the argument. Kor has his point-of-view, Worf has his, and Dax has hers. I think the key difference between Worf and Kor is that Worf wants to do what he thinks is honorable while Kor wants to do what he thinks is glorious. Even though honor and glory can overlap, they're not the same thing. I think it's also why Kor likes to exaggerate so much. "You better hope I exaggerate when it comes to your part, or it'll be: and Worf came along!"

It's one thing to have Toral be power hungry. That's what we expect from the House of Duras. The Sword, unfortunately, also brings out the ugliness in Worf and Kor. All of them eventually become delusional. Dax is the only one who can stay clear-headed, not being a Klingon and being far older and wiser than any of them. I think they made the right call to leave The Sword floating in space, though I hope they left it in a spot that Toral wasn't tracking, so he wouldn't find it again.

The set-designers put a lot of work into this episode. Having so many large and varied caves gave a sense of how much of a journey Kor, Worf, and Dax were on. The Sword itself looks appropriately intricate and Medieval. The only issue I have on the technical end is something most people wouldn't have to deal with. The sets are dark and murky, and it would still work if someone's watching on a TV in a properly lit room. I was watching in a darkened room on my projector, so sometimes the murkiness made it hard to see. I think there should've been more lighting on the actors. But that's probably something only someone like me would pick up on.

Overall, this was the best an episode of its type can be, and I really enjoyed it. I give it a 10.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

It's one thing to have Toral be power hungry. That's what we expect from the House of Duras. The Sword, unfortunately, also brings out the ugliness in Worf and Kor. All of them eventually become delusional. Dax is the only one who can stay clear-headed, not being a Klingon and being far older and wiser than any of them.

The Sword of the Rings?

 

[DonIago]

The Sword of the Rings?

I was going to say that the Sword of Kahless strikes me as the Klingon One Ring, but you beat me to it, and with more clever phrasing at that.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Actually, I should have said "Klings".

 

[Farscape One]

"The Sword of Kahless"

Long before Picard mashed up several different series together, weaving together and building on top of them, DS9 did it first with "The Sword of Kahless", which combines elements from TOS, TNG, and DS9 all into one. And as you probably know, I love it when Star Trek is able to combine different plot threads to build on top of itself.

Representing TOS are Kor and the concept Kahless himself. Representing TNG are Worf, Toral, and who we really think of as Kahless. And representing DS9 is Dax and the current sociopolitical climate (relative to the series) with strained relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Gowron, even though he's not on the episode, represents TNG and DS9, and is an example of someone who Kor views as a politician and not a true Klingon Warrior. Kor views himself as a true Klingon Warrior, a Dahar Master. For a little while during the episode, Kor views Worf as not a true Klingon at all. And he views Dax as a true ally to the Klingons.

John Colicos steals the show as Kor. Seeking glory and telling tall tales. As great as Michael Ansara was as Kang, I'm glad that Kor was the one who wasn't killed off in "Blood Oath" because Kor was the best type of Klingon to have as a guest-character in the quest to search for The Sword of Kahless. David Bell also does great work giving a musical score that fits the quest they were on.

Just like when Worf was hesitant to interact with other Klingons during his Discommendation during mid-TNG, he's hesitant to interact with after "The Way of the Warrior". Dax, being as extroverted as she is, has none of that and introduces Worf to Kor right away. Love it when Kor is like, "Worf, the pariah, the traitor, the lowest of the low... " leaving Worf (and the audience) in suspense before saying, "Any enemy of Gowron is a friend of mine." Just like in "Blood Oath", when he instantly accepted Dax as someone to come on his journey, he accepts Worf just as easily to go on the journey he has this time.

Once they journey to where the Hirq hid the Sword of Kahless and discover it, it feels like a truly epic moment. To quote Kor, "Glorious!" Watching him hold the sword and hold it high looked and felt as grand as was intended.

Everyone wants The Sword. Kor thinks he was meant to have it, Worf thinks he was meant to have it and that his recent ordeals have been a test, and Toral wants to have it to take over the Klingon Empire. First his father Duras wanted to rule the Empire, then Lursa & B'Etor wanted to rule the Empire by using Toral as a puppet, and now Toral wants to rule the Empire as his own man. The only one who doesn't want The Sword is Dax. Which makes her the perfect person to carry it.

One of the episode's strengths is that it allows everyone to have their own point-of-view and they get to present their side of the argument. Kor has his point-of-view, Worf has his, and Dax has hers. I think the key difference between Worf and Kor is that Worf wants to do what he thinks is honorable while Kor wants to do what he thinks is glorious. Even though honor and glory can overlap, they're not the same thing. I think it's also why Kor likes to exaggerate so much. "You better hope I exaggerate when it comes to your part, or it'll just be: and Worf came along!"

It's one thing to have Toral be power hungry. That's what we expect from the House of Duras. The Sword, unfortunately, also brings out the ugliness in Worf and Kor. All of them eventually become delusional. Dax is the only one who can stay clear-headed, not being a Klingon and being far older and wiser than any of them. I think they made the right call to leave The Sword floating in space, though I hope they left it in a spot that Toral wasn't tracking, so he wouldn't find it again.

The set-designers put a lot of work into this episode. Having so many large and varied caves gave a sense of how much of a journey Kor, Worf, and Dax were on. The Sword itself looks appropriately intricate and Medieval. The only issue I have on the technical end is something most people wouldn't have to deal with. The sets are dark and murky, and it would still work if someone's watching on a TV in a properly lit room. I was watching in a darked room on my projector, so sometimes the murkiness made it hard to see. I think there should've been more lighting on the actors. But that's probably something only someone like me would pick up on.

Overall, this was the best an episode of its type can be, and I really enjoyed it. I give it a 10.

I absolutely love this episode.

I think the best decision the writers did was to NOT make the Sword emit some technobabble that makes other Klingons go crazy for it. It is simply a holy relic, and religion and iconography brings out the worst in us just by its existence. It's a great message. So believable because we see it happen in our world now and throughout history.

 

[kkt]

The Sword of the Rings?

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

 

[Lord Garth]

I can't sleep, even though I have to wake up early tomorrow morning. So, before "Our Man Bashir", I might as well give my take on James Bond for those who don't know.

The first James Bond movie I saw in the theater was Goldeneye. So, Pierce Brosnan is my James Bond. He's my also my favorite Bond. (Controversial Opinion!) Roger Moore is too goofy (even though I like some of his Bond movies as guilty pleasures), Daniel Craig comes off as a thug (I don't care if it's novel-accurate!), while Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby are too flat and do nothing for me. So that leaves Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. I like Sean Connery's earlier Bond movies (like Dr. No and From Russia With Love) but they're all pretty dated. Which makes Pierce Brosnan my favorite Bond. He's the perfect middle-ground between too goofy and too serious, and what makes him interesting is that he's the first James Bond in the post-Cold War Era.

I love Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies (the latter of which, I think was way ahead of its time), I like The World Is Not Enough a lot, and I like Die Another Day as a guilty pleasure (DAD was a mixed bag that started strong, went down to okay, then became goofy-but-fun IMO). Pierce Brosnan's Bond movies are the only ones I have on Blu-Ray.

Goldeneye was released November 13th, 1995, and I saw it the weekend it came out, with my parents and my brother. "Our Man Bashir" was released November 27th, 1995. So, when I first watched "Our Man Bashir", James Bond was still "new" to me. I'd heard of James Bond before, it was (and is) part of pop-culture, but Goldeneye was the first time I'd ever actually seen a Bond movie. Before that, to me, James Bond was just my father's thing.

Nevertheless, despite only having seen Goldeneye at the time, I still got a kick out of "Our Man Bashir" spoofing James Bond. Just like I'd later get a kick out of Austin Powers spoofing Bond. The first one. And I enjoyed "Our Man Bashir" even more in subsequent viewings, once I became more familiar with James Bond. I've seen most of them now at least once. Except for the last two Daniel Craig movies.

Now I'm going to try to actually get some sleep. (yeah right!) And, at some point tomorrow ("It is tomorrow!" I mean the real tomorrow!) or the day after, I'll post my thoughts about "Our Man Bashir". I'll probably get burned at the stake as a heretic for my James Bond preferences, but it's all good!

 

[Lord Garth]

"Our Man Bashir"

Bashir. Julian, Bashir.

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Two seasons from now, in "Inquisition", Sloan wants to recruit Bashir into Section 31 as an Intelligence Agent, and I think the seeds for that development were planted here. Not Section 31, but Bashir's interest in being an Intelligence Agent, which he plays in a new James Bond-inspired holosuite program he's recently ordered. Garak notices it immediately and perceptively picks up that Bashir is acting out a side of himself that others didn't know about. Keeping secret that he secretly wants to be a secret agent. Cue Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers.

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Garak keeps making comparisons between his real history as a spy and Bashir's fantasy of being a spy. Eventually, Garak admits that acting out a fantasy made helped him think outside the box and consider things he was never taught in the Obsidian Order. He also hates the architecture of the Mid-20th Century, but I happen to like it. It's something I love about Mad Men, but that's a whole other story.

The mandatory technobabble scenes to explain how Sisko, Dax, O'Brien, Worf, and Kira get to essentially "cosplay" different characters doesn't take me to out of it, and they only last long enough to explain things.

Sisko makes a great Bond Villian, complete with the megalomania, being a maniacal over-the-top visionary. He looks and sounds almost like a Black Blofeld. Worf, O'Brien, Dax, and Kira are also good fits for their roles. O'Brien in particular as the strong-man and Kira as the female Russian Intelligence Agent working with Bashir.

As far as spoofing Bond, this episode did everything it could within the budget of a TV episode. The action scenes, the kiss scene, escaping from a deadly laser, the gambling, the main villain revealing his plan. And they end the episode saying Julian Bashir will return, just like the James Bond movies always ended with "James Bond will return". The only things that were missing because they'd be impossible to pull off would be the car chases, the ski chases, any ocean scenes, and Q (not Star Trek's Q!) giving Bashir his new gadgets.

DS9 is two-for-two with the music in these last two episodes. This time it's Jay Chattaway doing the score and he does an amazing job getting a soundtrack that sounds as close to James Bond as Star Trek can get without getting into legal trouble.

Most of the episode is fluff, to be honest, but sometimes that's okay. One of the few parts that isn't is where Garak tells Bashir that sometimes he has to make the tough choices. As a Doctor it makes sense that he'd want to save lives, and as many as possible. Which, in a way, is at odds with being a spy where you actually would have to kill people. I think it's an interesting blind spot that Bashir has as a character. When Bashir shoots Garak, Garak says that Bashir could've killed him, and Bashir says, "What makes you think I wasn't trying?", I think that when Garak says, "I believe there's hope for you yet," I think he thinks he can get Bashir to side from one side ("I have to save everyone!") to the other ("I can't save everyone!"). I think he sees Bashir as a challenge, and he likes a challenge.

That's all I have to say about the episode that's coming to mind right now. This is a fun episode. I give it a 9.

And that wraps up 1995 for DS9. Next up is to wrap up '95 for B5!

 

[Farscape One]

"Our Man Bashir"

Bashir. Julian, Bashir.

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Two seasons from now, in "Inquisition", Sloan wants to recruit Bashir into Section 31 as an Intelligence Agent, and I think the seeds for that development were planted here. Not Section 31, but Bashir's interest in being an Intelligence Agent, which he plays in a new James Bond-inspired holosuite program he's recently ordered. Garak notices it immediately and perceptively picks up that Bashir is acting out a side of himself that others didn't know about. Keeping secret that he secretly wants to be a secret agent. Cue Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Garak keeps making comparisons between his real history as a spy and Bashir's fantasy of being a spy. Eventually, Garak admits that acting out a fantasy made helped him think outside the box and consider things he was never taught in the Obsidian Order. He also hates the architecture of the Mid-20th Century, but I happen to like it. It's something I love about Mad Men, but that's a whole other story.

The mandatory technobabble scenes to explain how Sisko, Dax, O'Brien, Worf, and Kira get to essentially "cosplay" different characters doesn't take me to out of it, and they only last long enough to explain things.

Sisko makes a great Bond Villian, complete with the megalomania, being a maniacal over-the-top visionary. He looks and sounds almost like a Black Blofeld. Worf, O'Brien, Dax, and Kira are also good fits for their roles. O'Brien in particular as the strong-man and Kira as the female Russian Intelligence Agent working with Bashir.

As far as spoofing Bond, this episode did everything it could within the budget of a TV episode. The action scenes, the kiss scene, escaping from a deadly laser, the gambling, the main villain revealing his plan. And they end the episode saying Julian Bashir will return, just like the James Bond movies always ended with "James Bond will return". The only things that were missing because they'd be impossible to pull off would be the car chases, the ski chases, any ocean scenes, and Q (not Star Trek's Q!) giving Bashir his new gadgets.

DS9 is two-for-two with the music in these last two episodes. This time it's Jay Chattaway doing the score and he does an amazing job getting a soundtrack that sounds as close to James Bond as Star Trek can get without getting into legal trouble.

Most of the episode is fluff, to be honest, but sometimes that's okay. One of the few parts that isn't is where Garak tells Bashir that sometimes he has to make the tough choices. As a Doctor it makes sense that he'd want to save lives, and as many as possible. Which, in a way, is at odds with being a spy where you actually would have to kill people. I think it's an interesting blind spot that Bashir has as a character. When Bashir shoots Garak, Garak says that Bashir could've killed him, and Bashir says, "What makes you think I wasn't trying?", I think that when Garak says, "I believe there's hope for you yet," I think he thinks he can get Bashir to side from one side ("I have to save everyone!") to the other ("I can't save everyone!"). I think he sees Bashir as a challenge, and he likes a challenge.

That's all I have to say about the episode that's coming to mind right now. This is a fun episode, I'm not denying that, but there isn't enough here to rate it that high. So, I give it an 8.

And that wraps up 1995 for DS9. Next up is to wrap up '95 for B5!

"OUR MAN BASHIR" is my most rewatched episode in the entire franchise. It is just supreme fun!

The best thing about this premise: it's a 'holodeck gone wrong' episode without it ACTUALLY going wrong! It's doing precisely what it's supposed to do.

And the play on Bond and other spy genre stuff is just awesome. (Dr. Noah is DR. NO, and his plan to flood the world... staying afloat after, like Noah and his ark.)

I've always felt Ronald D. Moore, on paper, is probably the funniest writer in the franchise... and this episode is proof.

Also, this episode can be used as a piece of proof beforehand as a little clue about his revelation in season 5. (Not sure if you know it, so I'll put in a spoiler tag.)

Spoiler: Bashir...

Bashir's genetically enhanced vision allowed him to aim so PRECISELY at Garak to just barely graze his neck. Even an expert marksman would find that a very, very difficult shot.

I always gave this a 10! I think it's the most fun episode in the franchise.

 

[Lord Garth]

Spoiler: Bashir...

Bashir's genetically enhanced vision allowed him to aim so PRECISELY at Garak to just barely graze his neck. Even an expert marksman would find that a very, very difficult shot.

I know it.

I've always felt Ronald D. Moore, on paper, is probably the funniest writer in the franchise... and this episode is proof.

It also gives him a chance to write in a 1960s setting, which he's good at. The first half of the first season of For All Mankind is another chance for him to write in a(n alternate) 1960s setting, except he got to play it straight, and I think he did great with that too.

 

[kkt]

It would have been funny if they'd brought in de Lancie as Q in order to have him give Bashir some new toys

I'd give it a 10. I always want to rewatch it.

 

[Lord Garth]

Thinking it over, I'll change my rating for "Our Man Bashir" from an 8 to a 9.

"Passing Through Gethamane" (B5 S3E4)

Spoiler

This episode has an interesting concept: what happens if someone who was sentenced to Death of Personality remembered who they were before? Brother Edward, played by Brad Dourif, is such a person. A mass-murderer who was sentence to death of personality and became a monk under Brother Theo. Brother Edward seems like a man at peace, and then a telepathic Centauri triggers his wiped memories, and he starts to remember his previous life as a psychopath. In a nutshell: Brother Edward is like Suder if he forgot everything but then was reminded of it again. Babylon 5 and Voyager have take different approaches to what is essentially the same type of character.

The Centauri was hired by one of the family members of women Brother Edward killed in a previous life. The sons, daughters, and husbands want revenge. It's a mob. Brother Edward never stood a chance. The story is basic, it's a revenge story, but the question posed is compelling when Brother Edward asks, "How can I ask God to forgive my sins when I don't even know what they are?" Then Brother Theo tells Brother Edward, "God knows your sins even if you don't." Then Brother Theo pardons him of all sins before he dies.

One minor nitpick: Edward says that gambling is one of the lesser sins. Actually, it's a double-sin. It's a combination of Greed and Gluttony. At best it's a lesser double-sin.

The B-Plot: Lyta's back on the station again. Now she's working for Kosh, while hiding from Psi Corps. Sheridan and Garibaldi are able make use of Lyta when trying to get information out of the Centauri hired to trigger Brother Edward's memories. I like that Lyta's operating on the outside, just like Sheridan and his senior staff unofficially are.

Londo tries to blackmail Lyta and he gets about as far as G'Kar did back in "The Gathering"!

Overall, a pretty good standalone episode that makes you think of philosophical and ethical questions. I give it an 8.

Technically, this was the last episode of 1995 for Babylon 5. I think it's weird that in the fall they'd show the last four episodes of one season and then the next four episodes of the next, before taking another short break. That had to have been weird as Hell.

But I have to keep DS9 and B5 in synch with each other since I want to hit the exact middle of both series the same week. So, before this week is over, I'll review the next Babylon 5 episode to keep things on track.

 

[DonIago]

Spoiler: Passing Through Gethsemane

Considering just how non-essential "Passing Through Gethsemane" is to the overall story, I find I really like it. Brad Dourif definitely eleveates the role of Brother Edward from what it might have been in lesser hands, but I think this may be Brother Theo's finest hour as well.

The ending is also the height of uncomfortable irony; I'm surprised you didn't mention it!

KRAD noted the ethical hypocrisy of Our Heroes opposing the notion of the Death of Personality but being very willing to have Lyta go rooting through the mind of a telepath who was, in the end, just doing a job.

 

[Farscape One]

And you never went wrong casting Brad Dourif.

In anything.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Our Man Bashir is another "light"DS9 episode that is anything but trivial. It sets up Bashir for the Section 31 episodes and restores his sexy image. It progresses Rom's technical talents. And it contributed to the series' long running discussion on fiction vs reality and heroism.

 

[Lord Garth]

The ending is also the height of uncomfortable irony; I'm surprised you didn't mention it!

I'm on a time-crunch, but I'll add my thoughts about that in the next post, along with my thoughts about the next episode tomorrow.

 

[Lord Garth]

<--- This is an avatar of me last week testing out the top part of my pirate costume for Pirate Day this year. I bought the rest of the outfit in stages, after this picture.

Yo-ho-ho!!! And a bottle of rum!

Anyway, like I said earlier, I was on a time-crunch yesterday. In retrospect, probably not the best time to review an episode in a situation like that, but at least I got most of all the thoughts swirling in my mind out of the way so I can focus on the rest.

"Passing Through Gethamane" (B5 S3E4) -- An Addendum

Spoiler

Malcolm had a loved one who was killed by Brother Edward in Edward's previous life. If I didn't know the types of characters Brad Dourif normally plays, if anything, I'd have said that Malcolm looks more like a killer than Edward! Malcolm seriously looks like he should be hanging out with Scorpio in Dirty Harry. He has that crazy, psychotic look. It's no surprise to me that he'd be the one leading the mob who wants revenge.

The Centauri who Malcolm hired to re-trigger Edward's memories, looks like what I Centauri would look like if I were drawn in Image Comics in the '90s. He also had a very scary, demented look. I hate Londo in his worst moments, but I'd be scared of this guy if I saw him coming anywhere near me.

When Edward sees the blood on the walls with writing, it reminded me when there was writing on the walls of the Enterprise in "The Naked Time" (TOS). Except that was with red paint instead of what Brother Edward thought was blood. Why my mind went to there? I don't know. I guess comparing Star Trek and Babylon 5 is never far from my mind, whether I'm actually trying to or not.

The suspense rises as Sheridan, Garibaldi, and Brother Theo try to find Brother Edward. It's a good thing they had Lyta there, who doesn't have to follow any Psi Corps rules to help them. Like I said, she's an outsider just like Sheridan and the others are now outsiders of sorts.

The rig that Malcolm has Edward hung up on is a sight to be seen. It looks as if Edward is in the same position as Jesus Christ is crucified. That's the imagery I got out of it, even though Malcolm wasn't actually crucified. It adds to the moment when Brother Theo pardons him of all sins, since Christ died for everyone's sins.

Malcolm is arrested, he's proud of what he did, and thinks justice was finally served. Confusing revenge with justice. And he's sentenced to Death of Personality.

I know that Brother Theo thinks he probably did the right thing by taking in Malcolm after death-of-personality, but I think it makes more sense for Malcolm to live his new life somewhere that's nowhere near Babylon 5. Someone is bound to remind Malcolm of who he was before. I have a hard time imagining that not happening at some point.

The episode ends on the theme of forgiveness. When Sheridan sees that Brother Theo has brought the new Malcolm into his ministry, he has a hard time separating the new Malcolm from the old. I don't think Sheridan forgives Malcolm for killing Edward but understands that Malcolm doesn't remember anymore and says he understands forgiveness. But you can tell underneath his words, he's having a really hard time being able to separate who Malcolm is now from what he's done.

The ironic thing here: Sheridan would've had a hard time accepting Brother Edward too, if he'd known who Edward was before, but he only ever knew Edward after death-of-personality and regarded him better. Which is exactly why I think Brother Theo should've had Malcolm live with a colleague somewhere else.

I think I posted more in the second portion of the review than the first! This episode gets you to really think about things afterwards.

 

[Farscape One]

<--- This is an avatar of me last week testing out the top part of my pirate costume for Pirate Day this year. I bought the rest of the outfit in stages, after this picture.

Yo-ho-ho!!! And a bottle of rum!

Anyway, like I said earlier, I was on a time-crunch yesterday. In retrospect, probably not the best time to review an episode in a situation like that, but at least I got most of all the thoughts swirling in my mind out of the way so I can focus on the rest.

"Passing Through Gethamane" (B5 S3E4) -- An Addendum

Spoiler

Malcolm had a loved one who was killed by Brother Edward in Edward's previous life. If I didn't know the types of characters Brad Dourif normally plays, if anything, I'd have said that Malcolm looks more like a killer than Edward! Malcolm seriously looks like he should be hanging out with Scorpio in Dirty Harry. He has that crazy, psychotic look. It's no surprise to me that he'd be the one leading the mob who wants revenge.

The Centauri who Malcolm hired to re-trigger Edward's memories, looks like what I Centauri would look like if I were drawn in Image Comics in the '90s. He also had a very scary, demented look. I hate Londo in his worst moments, but I'd be scared of this guy if I saw him coming anywhere near me.

When Edward sees the blood on the walls with writing, it reminded me when there was writing on the walls of the Enterprise in "The Naked Time" (TOS). Except that was with red paint instead of what Brother Edward thought was blood. Why my mind went to there? I don't know. I guess comparing Star Trek and Babylon 5 is never far from my mind, whether I'm actually trying to or not.

The suspense rises as Sheridan, Garibaldi, and Brother Theo try to find Brother Edward. It's a good thing they had Lyta there, who doesn't have to follow any Psi Corps rules to help them. Like I said, she's an outsider just like Sheridan and the others are now outsiders of sorts.

The rig that Malcolm has Edward hung up on is a sight to be seen. It looks as if Edward is in the same position as Jesus Christ is crucified. That's the imagery I got out of it, even though Malcolm wasn't actually crucified. It adds to the moment when Brother Theo pardons him of all sins, since Christ died for everyone's sins.

Malcolm is arrested, he's proud of what he did, and thinks justice was finally served. Confusing revenge with justice. And he's sentenced to Death of Personality.

I know that Brother Theo thinks he probably did the right thing by taking in Malcolm after death-of-personality, but I think it makes more sense for Malcolm to live his new life somewhere that's nowhere near Babylon 5. Someone is bound to remind Malcolm of who he was before. I have a hard time imagining that not happening at some point.

The episode ends on the theme of forgiveness. When Sheridan sees that Brother Theo has taken the new Malcolm under his wing, he has a hard time separating the new Malcolm from the old. I don't think Sheridan forgives Malcolm for killing Edward but understands that Malcolm doesn't remember anymore and says he understands forgiveness. But you can tell underneath his words, he's having a really hard time being able to separate who Malcolm is now from what he's done.

The ironic thing here: Sheridan would've had a hard time accepting Brother Edward too, if he'd known who Edward was before, but he only ever knew Edward after death-of-personality and regarded him better. Which is exactly why I think Brother Theo should've had Malcolm live with a colleague somewhere else.

I think I posted more in the second portion of the review than the first! This episode gets you to really think about things afterwards.

I think Brother Malcolm in the end was going to be sent off station to one of Brother Theo's other sects. His sentence was only just carried out.

As for death of personality, I get why it's used as an alternative to the death penalty. But honestly? I think it's a waste of resources. This entire situation would have been avoided if Edward was given the death penalty originally. That would have at least given closure to the victims' families and a hunt wouldn't have ever occurred. Now, it got ANOTHER person's personality erased.

Plus, considering Centauri and other races don't have to follow Psi Corps rules for people who got this sentence, imagine how many others this happened to? It's creating new problems when the old solution was good enough.

 

[Lord Garth]

I think Brother Malcolm in the end was going to be sent off station to one of Brother Theo's other sects. His sentence was only just carried out.

As for death of personality, I get why it's used as an alternative to the death penalty. But honestly? I think it's a waste of resources. This entire situation would have been avoided if Edward was given the death penalty originally. That would have at least given closure to the victims' families and a hunt wouldn't have ever occurred. Now, it got ANOTHER person's personality erased.

Plus, considering Centauri and other races don't have to follow Psi Corps rules for people who got this sentence, imagine how many others this happened to? It's creating new problems when the old solution was good enough.

All I can think of is one of the 1988 US Presidential Debates, when Bernard Shaw asked Michael Dukakis right off the bat: "Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?" Then Dukakis just flatly and unemotionally said he was against the death penalty.

I didn't know about this until college but, when I found out, my thought was, "Wow! Way to put someone on the spot!" What Dukakis should've said, IMO, was that death was the easy way out and that he'd send the killer away to prison for life and throw away the key. He should've phrased it like that. Show some emotion, still be against the death penalty, and then show he'd still want the killer punished. That would've gotten more of the electorate on his side in a way that would've worked.

What does this have to do with Babylon 5? This is speculation only, but I think that debate question got JMS thinking. I was only nine, so I wouldn't know, but that debate question had to have gotten people talking about the issue. There's no way there wasn't water cooler chatter about it. And I think Death of Personality was the answer JMS came up with, and then he probably thought he'd want to incorporate that answer into Babylon 5 as he was developing it and preparing for when he'd finally pitch it. I know he pitched Babylon 5 to Paramount in '89, so the timing fits.

 

[DonIago]

I'm curious as to what the in-universe motivations were for coming up with Death of Personality, because I can see it as a backdoor way to commit capital punishment while also being able to argue that you haven't really killed anyone, and have ultimately created a person who can now serve humanity in a more productive manner.

As to the notion of bringing closure to the victims...personally I don't have a lot of sympathy for victims who feel they can't receive closure unless the perpetrator of whatever trauma they experienced is killed in turn. Would we really want a justice system where the victims of crimes were allowed to determine the fates of those who'd wronged them, especially when we live in a world where sometimes the legal system gets it wrong?

It feels a bit bizarre and unrealistic that Malcolm wouldn't have been ushered off to somewhere other than B5 under the circumstances, but that would rob the episode of a complicated ending.

As to what inspired JMS to come up with it, I don't really feel as though the idea of Death of Personality is a new enough concept that the Dukakis interview failure was necessarily a significant influence, though I can't rule it out. I suspect stories about characters having amnesia only to find out that they are worse than who they hoped they were is...not necessarily a trope, but a story that's been told many times before. JMS and perhaps especially the actors on display here just succeed in spinning a fresh and moving take on it.